Chapter Text
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You had left Hawkins just a couple months prior to help your grandma who was moving to Colorado. You having to stay there for a couple months had your mother in the “my baby’s left the nest” phase even though it was only temporary. If you were being honest, you didn’t really want to go but your grandmother really needed help moving and you were the only one available since you just graduated high school and had no plans for college. You were thankful your parents weren’t pushing you to go to college, the very thought gave you anxiety. You couldn’t imagine knowing what you want for the future enough to move away and go to school for it. Right now, you are just happy to be out of high school and enjoy your time without having to worry about summer projects or high school drama.
Or you know the fucking face opening nightmare fuel that killed your best friend.
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Hawkins was always a little off but in recent years with the disappearance and then reappearance of the Byers boy, Hawkins became something more ominous. You remember being distraught at the disappearance of Barb, she was one of the only girls in school that didn’t go out partying every night and you had bonded over the dislike of drinking and socializing. You were pretty close with her, there was this unspoken camaraderie being two of the quieter “nerd” types in your class. You were there to listen to her worries when Nancy started dating Steve Harrington, agreeing with her when she complained that Nancy wasn’t acting the way she used to. You remember turning her down the night she went missing, saying that you would rather eat glass than spend the night “partying” at Steve Harrington’s house with Tommy and Carol. You remember the stab of guilt at the look of disappointment on Barb’s face.
That guilt grew exponentially when she didn’t turn up for school the following day. When she went missing you felt like no one cared except for Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers. Eventually Nancy started to avoid not just you but Steve as well, spending a lot of her time with Jonathan which stung a little but wasn’t completely surprising. Barb had always been the middle woman between the two of you.
When Will Byers turned back up after they found the body in the lake questions began to run through your mind. Who was in the lake then if the Byers kid was alive? Why wasn’t anyone talking about this weird shit that kept happening?
So when you finally decided to confront Nancy and Jonathan you were immensely surprised to see Steve Harrington already at the Byers Household knocking on the door. You held back and listened a bit while they tried to get Steve to leave, only moving forward when Steve forced his way in. You stood at the doorway completely floored at the sight of Nancy pointing a gun at Steve.
“Nancy what the fuck?!” You shouted from the doorway causing both Nancy and Jonathan to whip their heads towards you. Using their surprise, you quickly stepped in front of Steve, not really caring about protecting him but just wanting to defuse the situation. Steve took a small step closer to you, his eyes never leaving the gun. Which soon went from him to being pointed at you. Your hands immediately flew up as you took a step back bumping into Steve slightly.
“Again, Nancy WHAT THE FUCK?!?” You were sweating now, your hands trembling just slightly.
“Y/N you and Steve have to leave. NOW.” She was nervously shifting her eyes between the two of you.
“N-Nanc-“
“NOW!!” She took a threatening step forward just as Jonathan shouted about something being here and the lights in the room began to flicker.
Then your world fell apart.
Well, the Byers ceiling did, but with the plaster falling to the floor this monstrosity along with it you felt like you had walked into a horror movie. Steve was screaming and Nancy was shooting, and you stood there frozen. You felt Steve’s hand grab yours as he dragged you with him following the other two teens down the hall. You hadn’t screamed. You hadn’t even muttered a sound. You just stared at the abomination that’s face opened with a terrifying screech. You hadn’t said a word as Nancy pushed both you and Steve out. Your feet feeling like you were trapped in cement as you watched Steve run to his car fumbling.
Steve on the other hand took one look at you and got out of his car and sprinted back. He grabbed your shoulders and gave you a shake.
“Hey hey we gotta go we gotta-“ he was stammering, and you finally snapped out of the shock that overtook you.
“Steve…we can’t just leave.”
And that decision left your life changed forever.
You had become part of something much bigger than high school drama or popularity differences. You were there when Steve asked you to come find some demodog in the woods and when Will was possessed by the mind flayer. You had become closer with Nancy both of you finding comfort in each other over the loss of Barb. You spent nights talking about your future plans and current relationship troubles and life seemed to get a little more normal. The monsters in the shadows and the upside down seemed to have passed and the following year when you finally graduated and was asked to help your grandma you felt it would be a pleasant little break from the crazy that was Hawkins. It would be nice to get away from all the strange things happening in your hometown for a bit even if it was only for a little while. You had to admit you would miss the group of friends you had trauma bonded with but it was only a short while.
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The two months had passed relatively quietly. You spoke on the phone with Nancy every other night, with Steve on the weekends. When a month had passed you found yourself looking forward to those weekend calls more than you were willing to admit. Talking to Steve was always easy, he had changed so much from the King Steve you knew in high school. He had grown as a person and when that jerk persona fell away you found yourself considering him as one of your closest friends. You talked about how neither of you felt college was in the cards for your future, how his parents were pressuring him while yours didn’t even seem to know you existed. You talked about his job at Scoops Ahoy, about his coworker Robin, how he thought the two of you would get along despite him hating the idea. How he missed Dustin, how you missed Nancy. But then there were some nights where you talked about nothing at all, telling stories or debating which soda was better, talking about who came into scoops or who you thought would be better in a fight. Talking with Steve became so simple, so easy, it felt as effortless as breathing. You didn’t have to worry about what he thought constantly, didn’t have to pretend to be happy or ok. If you had taken the time to think about it you would find it really all came back to the moment he grabbed your hand and pulled you down Jonathan Byers hallway. The moment he stopped being Steve ‘the hair’ Harrington and became just a scared kid along with you.
You were still really close with Nancy, you could just tell by her phone calls she was having a rough time with the internship and Jonathan. You could hear the exhaustion on her voice, the wariness at not knowing what would be ok to share with you or not. Bless her heart really truly for always thinking of making you feel comfortable, but the phone calls were coming less and less and by the time it was supposed to be your last two weeks in Colorado you hadn’t received a call in days.
You had about two weeks left of moving furniture and unpacking before heading home. The two weeks couldn’t come fast enough as you found yourself worrying over not hearing from your mom or dad or sister. That coupled with the fact that Nancy hadn’t been answering your calls either immediately lit a spark of fear deep in your chest. You knew her internship was really draining her, hell you knew exactly how she felt. She and Jonathan had gotten a job at your dad's news company as journalist interns, which you were already worried about. Your dad was kind of a dick when it came to women in the workplace. So, when Nancy said she was going to apply, you warned her that he wouldn’t be nice to her just because she was your friend. That he treated you like trash so she should be ready.
Now coming up on almost 14 days of no contact your anxiety was skyrocketing. You couldn’t get in contact with those you were closest too in Hawkins and despite being there when Hopper told them it was over, that the gate was closed, dread began to creep in.
Eventually getting fed up you asked your grandma if she would be ok with you leaving early which she of course agreed to thanking you for all you had done for her. You didn’t want to admit that anxiety was overpowering any other possible reason for the lack of communication. You didn’t think of other possible reasons for Nancy to not answer or your parents. Didn’t think about how the summer came with busier days for your parents and sister’s jobs. Didn’t assume it was harmless missed chances and phone calls, maybe if they lived in any other city in the world but no this was Hawkins. Even though you reminded yourself that everything was back to normal, despite yourself you knew deep down something strange was starting back up.
That unwavering trepidation that filled you, the daunting feeling of unease that had your palms sweaty and heart beating, that is what brought you back to Hawkins.
It brought you to now, where you were just pulling up to your home as you spot your sister getting out of the passenger’s side of a car you didn’t recognize. You couldn’t stop the exhale of relief that slipped past your lips at the sight of her. A bit of your concern melting away from the ice that filled your veins as you watched her for a brief moment. Before shutting your car off and pushing the door open with a little too much force. You quickly stepped towards Heather completely disregarding the man getting out of the driver’s side of the car.
“Heather!! What the hell?!? I’ve been calling you guys for two weeks why the hell haven’t you answered or called back?” You question her, aggressively poking her in the chest. She slowly blinks at you, expression blank as if she doesn’t recognize you. You can’t read her expression at all, and you start to worry.
“Hellooo? Your sister gets back after being gone for two months and you just stand there?? Seriously, what is wrong with you?” You wave your hand in front of her face and immediately a smile begins to form, and she opens her arms for a hug.
“Y/N!! Omg you’re home early!” She pulls you into a hug acting as if the weird interaction just now never happened. Your brow furrowed as you awkwardly patted her back.
“Y-yeah you guys weren’t answering, and I was worried…” you trailed off as you pulled from the uncomfortable embrace. Just as you took a step back you felt a presence behind you and a hand fell heavily to your shoulder making you jump.
“And who do we have here??” A male voice asks right behind you causing you to tense up as you turn. You come face to face with Billy Hargrove making you tense even more. What the hell was this hotheaded douche doing with your sister?
“Oh, I’m so sorry babe this is y/n my little sister! Y/N this is Billy!” Heather cheerfully introduced the two of you and you can’t help but clench your teeth at the nickname she calls the taller man. Since when was she seeing Billy? And she still didn’t say why no one was answering your calls.
Before you can say anything, Heather is talking again grabbing your hand and pulling you to the house. “I’m so glad you’re here, we were just about to have dinner with mom and dad.” You don’t even have time to grab your things from the car before Heather is ushering you in with Billy close behind you.
You were instantly hit with a blast of cold air, goosebumps forming on your arms as soon as you stepped into the home. “Jesus you guys, it’s not even that hot out. Like I know it’s summer but do you really need the air blasting?” You complained to your sister while being dragged by the hand to the dining room.
“Hehe I know I know but what can I say he likes it cold.” She gestures towards Billy who just shrugged. “And to be honest we are here more than mom and dad anyway.” Which you had to agree with, your parents were never really the loving home makers.
Had you been given the chance to look you would have seen the house was in a disarray. You would have seen the blood stain on the carpet that was wrinkled, a wine bottle lying on the floor next to it.
But Heather doesn’t give you the chance to look around the home, she pulls you forcefully into the dining room and plops you down in a chair. Your mother walking in from the kitchen catching your attention before you can spot the wine stain on the tablecloth, the stale food still left out from the night things went so wrong.
Your mother reacted the same way Heather did when she first sees you. That slow blink before a huge smile and exaggerated welcome homes.
“I..I thought you said mom and dad were waiting?? Where’s dad?” You look around but only see your mother, who joins you at the table just as the other two pull out their own chairs.
“Oh, he had to follow up a story at the hospital so he’s running late dear. It must have slipped your dear sister’s mind. It’s so good to have you home your father will be so surprised!” Your mother quickly offers up an excuse for his absence. The way they all were acting was weird. Everything in general was weird. It left a sour taste in your mouth and your stomach in knots the way Billy stared at you sending chills down your spine. You didn’t even bother asking them about lack of communication, something was wrong, and you knew it.
You waited with bated breath, your eyes dropping to the table which was a disaster. Food rotting and wine spilled everything out of place and your mother just sitting there back straight smiling a huge smile sent alarms blaring in your mind. A lump formed in your throat, and you felt the telltale pinch in your nose as tears welled up.
“M-mom? What’s going on?” You slowly began to push your chair back just as your mother rose from hers, a smile still in place.
“Nothing dear, I just missed you so much! I want a hug. Please baby.” She stepped towards you as you stood quickly, shoulders tense as she wrapped her arms around you from behind. Your one hand went to cautiously pat her on the arm while your other hand gripped a fork you grabbed from the table.
Her grip on you tightened and suddenly you were being dragged backwards her arms going to hold you in a choke hold. You looked around wildly, panicked as both your sister and Billy remained seated not moving an inch to help. You saw a needle in your peripheral and realized your mom was trying to drug you.
‘What the fuck???’It took you a moment to get over the shock before you felt yourself stabbing the fork into your mom’s arm causing her to shriek and throw you away. Your foot slipped on the carpet, and you felt yourself fall forward, head colliding with the corner of the table. It didn’t slow you down as you rolled into a crouch adrenaline pumping and took off towards the front door. You hear the sound of the dinner chairs scraping against the floor behind you as both Billy and Heather lurch toward you.
There was blood dripping into your eye as you ripped the door open, having it slam into the wall with a resounding WHAM!
Once outside you ran to your car, started it and peeled out of the driveway. Billy and Heather could both be seen standing menacingly in the doorway through your rear-view mirror.
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What the fuck was going on?
You had no idea what it was but something deep down in your gut was telling you that something had gotten to your family. You don’t know why but your mind recalled Will, sweating and screaming in that cabin as Joyce turned the heaters up. God, you hoped you were wrong, your knuckles turning white as you gripped the steering wheel blinking back tears, your one eyes stinging at the blood you blinked through. You drove to Nancy’s, then Jonathan’s both not being home. Joyce wasn’t home either and that had your nerves spiking all over again. The last place you want to try was Steve’s but again you were met with silence when you knocked on the door.
You didn’t know what to do…who to ask.
Sitting back in your car you felt a sense of hysterical panic bubble up as your vision swam with unshed tears.
Nancy, Johnathan and Steve weren’t home, did you call the police? And say what? that your mom, sister, and her shitty boyfriend were acting weird? That your mom had tried to drug you and you were pretty sure they were possessed but a giant shadow demon?
They’d laugh and hang up if not have you committed. You didn’t want to go to your dad's work just in case whatever got your mom and sister got him too. That left you with one option, you had to go to star court and find Steve. You assumed he was at scoops, really more like praying he was working today. Hating the fact that you had to bring him into this mess but knowing he wouldn’t think you were crazy and would believe you one hundred percent. That you could trust him, that he would help anyway he could.
A plan finally formed: you turned out of Steve’s driveway and made your way to the mall, one hand on the wheel while the other began to wipe the blood that was drying on your face with some wet wipes you had tucked in your glove box. Your heart was still beating five thousand beats per minute, as you pleaded to whatever higher power there was that Steve would be at work, that he wasn’t possessed or whatever the hell was going on in this cursed fucking town.
You needed help.
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